Sling for use in the treatment of unilateral leg diseases



P. HALLSTEDT SLING `FOR USE IN ,THE TREATMENT 0F UNILATERAL yLEG DISEASES Flled Jan 9, 1948 March 11.951

Patented Mar. 6, 1951 -ulsurEDA y STATES PATENT OFFICE 'SLING FOR USE. iN THETREATMENT or UNILATERAL LEG, DISEASES Y Paul Hallstedt, Grand Rapids; lldich'.i,.assignor to:

LucillegL.- Murphy, GrandzRapidsMich.

The present invention relates to an appliance fer use in the treatment of unilateral leg diseases;` In certain types of unilateral leg diseases, for example the disease known to the medical profession as Legg-Perthes disease, it is extremely important that, during the convalescent period,

the ambulatory patients afflicted leg be freed t from bearing any of thel patients weight; If the leg isv not so, freed from weight-bearing the disease will be prolonged and the bones of the leg (particularly the., femur); willA no tj become properly mendedand afrequent-result, willbe a very considerable shortening of theallicted' leg. This importance of relieving the alllicted leg of all weight-bearing has long been recognized by the medical profession, but in practice the perfect relief from such weight-bearing has not been achieved and especially is this,l true in thef cases of children. Plaster casts and the so-called non-weight-bearing calipersl do not effectively relieve the alllicted leg from all weight-bearing, The; use of; crutches, with. the patient` holding the foot of the afflicted leg off the lloor orground has provenhelpiul, but notwithstanding all -care and conscientiousness on the part of the patient and careful observation by others; the patient will at tmeslinadvertently apply some weight to the afflicted leg. Y

In view of the circumstances explained above, my invention has for its object to provide an appliance for use in the treatment of unilateral leg diseases which will eliminate all weightbearing by the afflicted leg and at the same time permit reasonably great freedom of movement by the patient. The invention comprehends providing the patient with a conventional pair of crutches and in addition to provide a means for maintaining the shank of: the aiilicted leg in rearwardly directed, 'elevated position, and the appliance of the invention is a sling which constitutes said means for maintaining the leg in such elevated position.

The invention in a preferred form is illustrated by the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a view showing a patientemploying crutches and the leg sling ofthe invention, a portion of one crutch being broken away in order to more clearly illustrate the sling;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary, enlarged, central longitudinal sectional view of the sling, portions thereof being shown in section taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1; and v Figure 3 is an enlarged, central longitudinal ysectional View of other portions of the sling,

shown in section taken on line 3--3 of Figure l.

2 Referring now in detail to this drawing wherein like parts are designated by the same numerals in the several views, the patient illustrated in Figure l has been provided with crutches I0 v which together with the unaiiiicted right leg of the patient bears all 'of his weight while walk.- i-ng. The shank of the patients afflicted left leg is: suspended in a rearwardly directed elevated position so that no weight can be placed on the left. leg; This'is accomplished by means of a sling generally designatedV lli applied. to the patients. body, and the provision of such means for elevating the leftleg combination with the crutches, constitutes the new method for treating a unilateral leg, disease.

The; appliance or sling; II comprises anzelon gated ilexible strap I2 of leather, webbingl or other suitable materiaLand a buckle I3 having side; portionsl I4; connecting portionsxpr bars I5,. I;6, Il', I8 and I9 (see` Figure 2), and?.acfas,-` tener tongue; 2U pivotally mounted on the. conxmnectng, barA I'I ofy the buckle. The strap I2 has one end; 21|: thereof secured to the connecting bar, I8 ofi the` buckle, as; by means; of stitching 22. The sling is positioned with the buckle alongside the patents hip, on the side of the aillicted leg. The strap I2 extends from its end 2| which is secured to the buckle, downwardly and around the elevated Shank ofthe patients alicted leg, thence upwardly through the buckle and over the patients shoulder opposite the alicted leg, and thence downwardly to detachable connection with the buckle. This detachable connection is effected by means of the buckles fastener tongue 20 engaging in one of a series of apertures 23 in the strap I2, which are provided for making the effective length of the strap adjustable.

It will be seen that by' the arrangement above described the single length of strap I2 is utilized to provide two loops which are adjustable in' dependently as to length. These are an upper or depending loop 24 which encircles the patients body and depends from his shoulder, and a lower or suspending loop 25 which supports the shank of the patients ailicted leg in elevated position as shown.

In order to secure the suspending loop 25 on the shank of the patients elevated leg, I provide a stirrup of leather or other suitable material, generally designated 26. This stirrup has an element 2l secured as by rivets 28 to one of the portionsl of the strap I2 which are disposed on opposite sides of the patients elevated foot, and another element 29 secured as by rivets 30 to the Opposite portion of the strap I2. A buckle 3l is secured to the element 2l' as by stitching 32, and the free end of the element 29 is provided with apertures 33 any one of which may be engaged by the tongue 34 of buckle 3l for adjustably and detachably securing together the stirrups elements 2l and 29. The stirrup passes beneath the heel 35 of the shoe on the patients elevated foot as illustrated in Figure 1, and the suspending loop 25 of the sling Il is thus maintained in proper position on the shank of the patients elevated leg.

It will thus be seen that an effective appliance for use in the treatment of unilateral leg diseases has been provided, and while but one embodiment of the invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of construction may be altered or omitted without departing `from the spirit of the invention as the same is dened by the claims which follow. Y

I claim:

l. A unitary sling for use in the treatment of unilateral leg diseases, comprising: a depending loop portion adapted to encircle the patients body depending from his shoulder opposite the afflicted leg and extending to the side of the aliction, a suspending loop portion suspended from the depending loop portion at the side of the affliction and adapted to encircle the shank of the afflicted leg for suspending said shank in rearwardly directed elevated position, and a stirrup portion connected to the suspending loop portion, said stirrup portion being adapted to engage beneath the forward part of the heel of a shoe worn on the foot of the patients elevated leg shank for maintaining the suspending loop in position on said shank.

2. A sling for supporting the shank of an afflicted leg in a rearwardly directed elevated position,eernprising: a buckle adapted to be positioned alongside the patients hip on the side of .the afflicted leg, a single elongated exible strap having one end thereof xedly connected to the buckle, said strap passing from the buckle downwardly and around the elevated shank of the afflicted leg, thence upwardly through the buckle and over the patients shoulder opposite the afilicted leg, and thence downwardly to adjustable and detachable connection with the buckle, and a stirrup having its opposite ends connected to the portions of the strap on opposite sides of said shank and passing around and beneath the heel of the shoe on the patients elevated foot.

3. A sling for supporting the shank of an aficted leg in a rearwardly directed elevated position, comprising: a buckle adapted to be posivtioned alongside the patients hip on the side of the aiiicted leg, a single elongated flexible strap having one end thereof xedly connected to the buckle, said strap passing from the buckle downwardly and around the elevated shank of the aflicted leg, thence upwardly through the buckle and over ythe patients shoulder opposite the afflicted leg, and thence downwardly to adjustable land detachable connection with the buckle, and

a stirrup comprising flexible elements each having one end iixedly connected to one of the portions of the strap on opposite sides of said shank, one of said elements passing around and beneath the heel of the shoe on the patients elevated foot andbeing adjustably and detachably connected to the other of said elements.

PAUL HALLSTEDT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

